Different
by imlaughingnow
Summary: So here they were, dressed up as cowboys with straw hats on. He was looking at her like she was the best thing he ever had and she wasn't sure if to believe him or not. If he wanted her back, he was going to have to do things a bit differently. /\ In which Beck is the one who come crawling back to Jade. Bade. Inspired by Dan's videos.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**This is a result of those videos Dan has been tweeting. I couldn't help myself. A fic was born. It's just kind of...  
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**(.x.)**

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**Different**

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"_I don't care if everyone knows what we're going through._

_Cause all the roads lead back to you."_

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It was their first date after their makeup. This wasn't just any old first-date-after-another-little-squabble either; it had to be planned. Every article of clothing chosen with precision, every curl of her hair, and every hand Beck put around her waist had to be planned. It had to be done right.

They had been doing wrong for so long, they forgot how right they used to be.

How perfectly they were shaped for each other, how they complimented each other (as well as highlighted the other's flaws). He was Beck and she was Jade. Nothing was ever simple or easy for them. They had to work for it.

Initially, it was a natural sort of attraction. A pretty girl meets an equally pretty guy. He held her hand and then he let it go. He never tried and she never expected him to and he got to thinking, maybe he should have done something differently. Maybe if he had made it seem like he actually wanted her, things would have been different. They would have never broken up so many times. But Beck got comfortable, Beck got complacent, Beck got egotistical and Jade got insecure.

Maybe it was a strange concept for the rest of the world. There was Beck Oliver, the guy who girls flocked to because of his social status, gorgeous face and shiny head of hair. And then there was his girlfriend, Jade West. The girl whose anger tended to scare away all possible prospects that her haunting beauty drew near. How was it possible that the two people who could have any and everybody they wanted, were in a serious, long term relationship? How was it possible that Beck only ever had one girlfriend and Jade one ever had one boyfriend? They one ever kissed one person and actually meant it (because kisses during plays and acting exercises meant nothing to them, Beck especially) and they only ever had sex with one person.

It wasn't really believable, was it? Someone as good looking as Beck and someone as seductive as Jade, could never be faithful; except you know, they were. He never cheated on her and she never even so much as looked at another guy for more than 2 minutes.

.

"Please Jade?" Beck had squeezed her hand gently and she turned to look at him, her eyes drinking in his expression as she examined him over. Things weren't a simple 'yes' or 'no' anymore. Beck hated it, he hated how Jade felt that need to second-guess and analyze his every move. "I promise it'll be worth it."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Okay," she said weakly and forced a smile when Beck gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

He thought he would have been better off without her. He thought that maybe if he took this time to find himself and the things he needed from life, he would realize that he didn't need her at all. Unfortunately for him, his plans had the opposite effect and Beck found himself craving the soft feel of her skin, the sound of her laugh and the smell of her perfume more than he ever had when they were together.

His mouth watered for the things he no longer had; the thing he gave away. You know, the girl he broke up with.

.

"Wow, you look…" Beck sucked in a deep breath. He was never one to get nervous, but he had to get this right.

This had to be different.

"Like a southern idiot? I know." Jade pulled at her straw hat and fretted with her crop top, never noticing the way Beck's eyes were fixated on her bare torso.

"Beautiful, I was going to say beautiful." He managed to choke his words out and fidgeted under her gaze.

"Oh," she said softly before grabbing her purse. "Well, thanks I guess."

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Things were never like this. The car ride to the club was silent minus the radio that Jade fiddled with whenever a song she disliked came on, which, by the way, seemed to happen every forty-five seconds.

It reminded Beck of the first time they ever went on a date, except back then, Jade was the one who was fighting to stay calm while Beck relished in the effect he had on her with a large knowing smile. His friend Andre had told him that he overheard Cat saying something about Jade after Beck had introduced himself during third period.

Beck, being the sort of guy who attracted a lot of girls, was used to this. He was used to the awkward silences and he knew exactly what to say and what to do to earn him a smile and a giggle. The thing was, he never got further than the first date, he always seemed to lose interest.

While he knew he had sparked some sort of interest in Jade West when he drew a small rose on the corner of her textbook when she went to the bathroom, he didn't know what was happening to himself. She scared him. Not because of her dark clothes and biting comments, but because he kind of wanted to hold her hand and keep holding her hand forever.

And to Beck, forever was a really long time.

.

"I can't believe we're dressed like this." Jade groaned heavily and Beck took this opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist. He felt her tense up, and prayed she wouldn't move his hand. "Why are we dressed up like this again?"

"Because we're here to support Tori and Andre and their gig." Came Beck's automatic reply, "Plus, tonight is the club's Rodeo Friday." He shrugged under Jade's gaze. He figured he must have said something right, because she nestled into him and well, he didn't plan on moving anytime soon.

"This is so tacky." She spoke up again, "These hats and these outfits." She wrinkled her nose in disgust and Beck almost sighed because he kind of really missed it when she did that.

"I don't mind," she turned to look at him, eyebrows shooting into her forehead, "it kind of gives me an excuse to see you with less clothes on."

For a second, Jade was shocked. Her pink lips formed a small 'o' and Beck's thoughts were frantic, because he didn't really mean to make it all sexual, except he kind of did. Usually, she would have rolled her eyes and called him a perv, that was what she usually did when he said these inappropriate things.

Except this wasn't like any other time and a lot was riding in this.

Things were different, that's what he kept telling himself, things will be different.

If it were any of time, Beck wouldn't have furrowed eyebrows and he wouldn't currently be chewing his lower lip like a hungry dog. Those brownbrownbrown eyes of his wouldn't be so wide and his grip around her waist wouldn't have tightened at all. She knew him well enough to know that he was nervous.

Beck Oliver was nervous.

And that fact sort of made her laugh. The queasy look on his face and the hopeful eyes made her burst into one of those radiant smiles that only Jade West could produce. She let him pull her closer and she may or may not have giggled at the sigh of relief he puffed when he thought she wouldn't notice. But she was Jade West and she noticed everything.

.

Jade didn't mean for it to happen, she never did but somewhere along the line, she thought about Beck less and less and her chest didn't ache as much as it used to. She could breathe when he walked pass her in the hallways and she wasn't permanently spitting out nasty comments to any and every one. Time had changed her, it had subdued her enough to realize that she was still alive and well with or without Beck by her side and, maybe this entire breakup wasn't such a bad thing.

Andre had cornered her on her way to Sikowitz, he was out of breath and Jade could see the beads of perspiration glinting on his forehead. "Jade, there's something I wanted to tell you."

"Well go ahead, I have class to get to." She tilted her head to the side and arched her eyebrows expectantly.

"I wanted to say it for a while but, I couldn't; not with everyone around and-"

"Spit it out, Andre." She rolled her eyes and readjusted the bag strap on her shoulder.

"I'm happy for you."

"Okay…?"

"I'm happy for you, because you're happy too and I know you haven't been happy for a while." Andre spoke hurriedly and the words tumbled out of his mouth and fell in a mess on the floor. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "I know it's stupid, but it's good to see you smiling more."

Then he scurried off and left her there, mulling over his words.

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"Jade, can I talk to you?" Beck had asked a month after The Andre Thing. Everyone's heads at the table shot up and Tori and Andre exchanged worried glances before turning their attention back on Jade, who had never looked up from her salad. She was stabbing her lettuce thoughtfully. "Jade-"

"I'm thinking." She interrupted him and a small smile crept unto Beck's face, because he kind of missed her a little.

A lot actually.

"So, can we talk?"

"No." She finally said, gathering her things. Tori scrambled after her, shoveling forkfuls of mashed potatoes into her mouth haphazardly while she walked, yelling for Jade to wait for her, between mouthfuls. Throwing away the rest of her lunch, Tori took off into a run, because Jade wasn't one to wait.

And maybe, Beck was only now learning that about her.

"Maybe, next time Beck?" Robbie tried to be hopeful for his friend.

Robbie was right, he'd get her next time and when he did, things would be different.

.

It took him two more weeks but she had finally agreed to give them another shot. Not because she wanted to, but because Cat had gripped her hand and had pleaded with her the night before. Because Beck was always asking about her and he was just so sorry and Cat could tell because she was Cat and cats had intuition.

She kept calling and when Jade turned off her cellphone Cat had paid an superfluous visit to Jade's house, bounced up the staircase and burst into Jade's room, flinging herself into Jade's arms who had groaned loudly and did her best to peel the younger girl off of her. Cat was crying hysterically into her chest and Jade had enough of crying Cat so she gave her a few stiff pats on her back. Her body sagged in relief when Cat pulled away, her eyes teary and red.

"Jade, I was watching Beauty and the Beast and it was true love. It's like you and Beck, Jade. It really is, and I am like your Fairy Godmother."

"The Fairy Godmother was in Cinderella, Cat." Jade brought a hand to her temple and rubbed it tenderly. She already felt an oncoming headache.

For the next hour, Jade spent her half of her time subduing Cat, coaxing her into the silence she greatly needed and the other half yelling at her mother for letting Cat inside.

"Please Jade, just one more try. That's all he needs. The Beast tried to chase Belle away so many times but she kept coming back, just like Beck is coming back."

"Of course you'd classify me as the Beast. Of course I could never be Belle." Jade's face pinched into an expression Cat had never seen before, "because that's all everyone ever sees me as, right? Some sort of monster, undeserving of happiness? A gank, right?"

"You're the Beast because you're both mean and irritable and always cranky." Jade opened her mouth to snap at the rehdhead, but Cat quickly cut her off, "but there's a beautiful person hiding inside of you, like Beast."

"All this from a Disney movie?" Jade uncrossed her arms and cleared her throat.

Cat nodded her head vigorously, "Just one more chance, Jade. Please that's all he needs."

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Tori and Andre were already on stage, gearing up for their performance. Beck had dragged her to the front of the crowd that had formed, and he couldn't stop himself from grinning when Jade shrugged her shoulders and started dancing with him.

Things were different now.

So she tried, because Beck was the one who was going out his way to try and make this work.

And when he made a face, when he had wrinkled his nose and squinted his eyes, she wrapped her hand around his shoulder and covered his mouth, stifling a laugh and making a face of her own. He was imitating the drummer; poor guy looked constipated every time he hit that bass drum.

"Would you still like me if I looked like this, Jade?" Beck asked and Jade gave him a cheeky grin. Before she could reply, Beck stole a kiss, "I guess you would, it must be true love then." And she shook her head, because this was different.

Because this really wasn't the Beck she was used to.

This Beck went out of his way to save her a seat at lunch, he picked her up in the morning with a smile and a cinnamon muffin (because she really had a thing for cinnamon) and he waited for her in the hallway before and after classes. He ignored her snarky comments (the ones she made simply because Tori thought it was a good idea to test his resolve and for once, her idea wasn't stupid), and did nothing more than grin at her and when he took her to the movies.

He had kissed her neck and said, "you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, Jade West." And she was glad there was poor lighting because he couldn't see her blush. He ignored the other girls and he sent her flowers after school; flowers that her mother had placed on display in the kitchen.

Nobody could deny it; Beck was different.

Things were different now.

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When Beck had pulled to a stop in front of her house after the club, he held her hand and they sat like that, in silence before he asked, "What do you think is going to happen to us?"

"I guess we'll have to see." Jade tried to be as nonchalant as she could be. Sure, she wanted to be with Beck again but if she was going to miserable with him, then she'd rather be by her lonesome self and be as happy as Jade West could possibly be.

"I want good things to happen." Beck spoke firmly; his eyes were trained on the road in front of them but his hand never released hers. Jade took that as a good sign. Beck just didn't want to let her (hand) go.

"You're different now." She said after a pregnant pause and for a while, all she could do was hear their breathing, terribly out of sync and it scared her, because maybe it was a sign they would fail and he would break her heart again, after she had done her best to sew the pieces back together. Every stitch was another pierce through her heart. It had hurt like hell, but she had never stopped. Why would she? She had nothing else, Beck had left her. All she had left was herself, and having a bruised and bloody heart would get her nowhere so she did the only thing she could; she fixed herself. She became whole and she was Jade West again.

"I am." Beck had finally turned to meet her eyes. They always had a habit of reading each other, of communicating without speaking.

"Why?" She tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

_I don't want to get hurt again_, was what she was really saying.

"I experienced what life without you was like." Beck shrugged in the seat and reached for the key that was hanging from the ignition and switched off the car.

_I can't live without you._

"And how was that?" she asked, after he had taken broad steps in order to open her door for her. When she stepped out of the car, Beck never moved but rather, he put his palms face down on the top of the doorframe, and then placed his chin on his hands, looking up at her with those dark chocolate eyes of his. Jade licked her lips and leaned against the car's metal frame, arms crossed and eyebrows arched. Her standoff demeanor didn't deter Beck, because he saw those diamonds eyes glinting under the streetlights, he knew what she was really thinking.

_Please don't let me go_.

"I never want it to happen again." Beck finally pulled away from the car door and waited for Jade on the bottom of her driveway. When she joined him, he held her hand and took small, slow steps up her winding driveway to her house, perched on the small hill further ahead.

_Don't worry, I won't._

"What if I'm not happy with our relationship?" She asked, absentmindedly, dragging her hand against the large, perfectly trimmed hedge that shaped the path up to her house.

_What if you don't love me anymore?_

"I'll make sure that never happens." His firm tone matched his expression; one that Jade hadn't seen in a long time. Beck was determined. She shivered, pulling her hand out of his to cover her bare stomach. Beck had brought his hand up to tip her cowboy hat further down so that they covered her eyes, earning him a small smile and a crinkled nose.

_That will never happen, Jade._

"You better." She finally huffed.

_Good._

He held her hand once more, and this time, he never let go.

"_Nothing worth anything, _

_Ever goes down easy."_

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**(.x.)**

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**How about no. This was nothing like I expected. Talk about sheer disappointment. I think it's legit, I tots forgot how to write a proper fic. This is not okay.**

**I probably need to take a break from this writing thing.  
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